Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their hearts You have both in that word dâ—rknesse and deadnesse want of that shining light of God in the mind â—o that it cannot discern spiritual things that makes to our eternal peace all the plainnesse and evidence of the Gospel though it did shine as a Sun about you cannot make you see or apprehend either your own misery or the way to help it because your dungeon is within the most part cannot form any â—ensible notion of spiritual things that are daily sounding unto them in the Word The eye of the mind is put ouâ— and if it be darknesse how great is that darknesse Certainly the whole man is without light and your way and walk must be in the dark and indeed it appears that it is dark night with many souls because if it were not dark they could not run out all their speed among pits and snares in the way to destruction And from this woful defect flows the alienation of the whole soul from the life of God that primitive light being eclipsed the soul is separated from the influence of Heaven and as Nebuchadnezzars soul acted only in a bruital way when driven out amongst beasts so the soul of man being driven out from the presence of the Lord may act in a way common to beasts or in some rational way in things that concern this life but it is wholly spoiled of that divine life of communion with God it cannot taste smell or savour such things O if it were visible unto us the state of the ruinous soul we would raise a more bitter lamentation over it then the Iews did over Ierusalem or the Kings and Merchants have reason to do over fallen Babylon Truly we might bemoan it thus how is the faithful city become a harlot righteousnesse lodged in it but now murderers Isa. 1.21 Man was once the dwelling place of princely and divine graces and veâ—tues the Lord himself was there and then how comely and beautiful was the soul But now it is like the desolate cities in which the beasts of the desertly and there houses are full of doleful creatures where Owls dwell and Satyrs dance where wilde beasts cry and Dragons in the pleasant Palaces Isa. 13.21 22 and Ier. 50.39 So mighty is the fall of the soul of man as of Babylon that it may be cryed It is fallen and become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird Rev. 18.2 All the beasts flock now to it all the birds of darknesse take their lodging in it since this noble guest left it and took away the light from it for the Sun hath not shined on it since that day All unclean affections all beastly lusts all earthly desires all vain cogitations get lodging in this house the Bethel is become a Bethaven the house of God become a house of vanity by the continual repair of vain thoughts the house of prayer is turned in a den of theeves and robbers that which was at first created for the pure service and worship of God is now a receptacle of all the rebellious and idolatrous thoughts and affections the heart of every man is become a Temple full of Idols This is the state of it and worse then can be told you Now judge if there be not need of a better guest then these O what absolute necessity is there of such a Spirit as this to repair and reform the ruinous spirit of man to quicken and enlighten the darkned mind of man even that Spirit that made it at first a glorious Palace for God that Spirit that breathed the soul into the formed clay must repair these breaches and creat all again Now when the Spirit of Christ enters into this vile and ruinous cottage he repairs it and reforms it he strikes out lights in the heart and by a wonderful eye-salve makes the eyes open to see He creats a new light within which makes him behold the light shining in the Gospel and behold all things are new himself new because now most loath-some and vile the world new because now appears nothing but vanity in the very perfection of it and God new because another Majesty glory excellency and beauty shines into the soul then ever it apprehended And as the Spirit enlightens so He enlivens this Tabernacle or Temple He kindles a holy fire in his affections which must never go out it is such as cannot be kindled iâ— it go out but by the beams of the Sun as the Poets fancied the Vestalfire The spirit within the soul is a fire to consume his corruption to burn up his drosse and vanity Christ comes in like a refiner with the fire of the Spirit and purges away earthly lusts and makes the love of the heart pure and clean to burn upward toward Heaven This Spirit makes a christian-Christian-soul move willingly toward God in the wayes that seemed most unpleasant It is an active principle within him that cannot rest till it rest in its place of eternal rest and delight in God And then the Spirit reforms this house by casting out all these wild beasts that lodged in it these savage and unruly affections that domineered in man this strong man entering in casts them out there is much rubbish in old waste Palaces Neb. 4.2 O how much pains is it to cleanse them â— our house is like the house of these Nobles Ier. 5.27 Full of deceit as a cage is full of birds and our heart full of wickednesse and vanity Jer. 4.14 Certainly it will be much labour to get your unclean spirits cast out that is the grosser and more palpable lusts that reign in you but when these are gone forth yet there is much wickednesse and uncleannesse in the heart of a more subtile nature and by long in dwelling almost incorporated and mingled with the soul and this will not be gotten out with gentle sweeping as was done Luk. 11.25 that takes away only the uppermost filth that lyes loosest but this must be gotten out by much washing and cleansing and therefore the Spirit enters by blood and water There are idols in the heart to which the soul is much engaged it unites and closes with them Ezek. 36. and these must be cleansed and washed out There is much deceit in the heart and this lyes clossest to it and is engrossed into it and indeed this will take the help of fire to separate it for that is of the most active nature to separate things of a diverse nature the Spirit must by these take out your drosse and all this the Spirit will not do alone but honours you with the fellowship of this work and therefore you must lay your account that the operation and reformation of this house for so glorious a Guest will be laborious in the mean time But
its impossible that he should do nothing else but pray in an express formal way but the souls walking with God between times of Prayer should compense that and thus Prayer is continued though not in it self yet in meditation on God which hath in it the seed of all worship and is virtually Prayer and Thanksgiving and all duties Let us then consider If our bodies be not more exercised in Religion then our souls yea if they be not the chief agents how many impertinencies and roveries and wandrings are throughout the day the most part of our conversation if it be not profane yet it is vain that is unprofitable in the World it neither advantageth us spiritually nor glorifies God it is almost to no purpose and this is enough to make it all flesh And for our thoughts how do they go unlimited and unrestrained like a wilde Ass traversing her wayes and gadding about fixed on nothing at least not on God nay fixed on any thing but God If it be spiritual service should it not carry the seal of our spirit and affection on it We are as so many shadows walking as pictures and statues of Christians without the soul and life which consists in the temper and disposition of the spirit and soul towards God SERMON V. Vers. 1. That walk not after the flesh but after the spirit IT is no wonder that we cannot speak any thing to purpose of this Subject and that ye do not hear with fruit because it is indeed a mystery to our judgements and a great stranger to our practice There is so litle of the Spirit both in Teachers and those that come to be taught that we can but speak of it as an unknown thing and cannot make you to conceive it in the living notion of it as it is Only we may say in general It is certainly a divine thing and another thing then our common or religious walk is It is little experience so we can know the less of it but this much we should know it is another thing then we have attained it s above us and yet such a thing as we are called to aspire unto How should it stir up in our spirits a holy fire of ambition to be at such a thing when we hear it is a thing attainable nay when Christ calls us unto himself that we may thus walk with him I would have Christians men of great and big projects and resolutions of high and illimited desires not satisfied with their attainments but still aspiring unto more of God more conformity to his will more walking after the Spirit more separation from the course of the World and this is indeed to be of a divine spirit The divine Nature is here as it were in a state of violence out of its own element Now it s known by this iâ— it be still moving upwards taking no rest in this place and these measures and degrees but upon a continual motion towards the proper center of it God his holiness and Spirit We desire to speak a word of these three 1. The nature of this spiritual walking Next Its connexion and union with that blessed state of non-condemnation And then of the order of this how it flows from a mans being implanted in Christ Jesus Which three are considerable in the words This spiritual walking is according to a spiritual rule from spiritual principles for spiritual ends These three being established aright the walk is even the motion of a Christian within the compass of these it is according to the word as the holy rule it s from the faith love of Jesus Christ as the predominant principleâ— Nay from the Spirit of Jesus living in the heart by faith and dwelling in it by love as the first wheel of this motion the Primum Mobile and as it begins in the Spirit so it ends there in the glory of Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father Consider this then it is not a lawless walking and irregular walk it is according to the rule and the rule is perfect and it is a motion to perfection not a rest in what is now attained to The course of this world is the way and rule of the children of disobedience Eph. 2.2 There is a spirit indeed that works in them and a rule it works by the spirit is that evil spirit contrary to the holy Spirit of God you may know what spirit it is that works by the way it leads men unto a broad way path'd and troden in by many travellers it s the Kings high street the common way that most part walkes into according as their neighbours do as the most do But â—hat King is the Prince of this World satan who blinds the eyes of many that they may not see that pit of misery before them which their way leads them to A Christian must have a kind of singularity not in opinion but in practice rather to be more holy and walk more abstracted from the dregs of the worlds pollution this were a divine singularity Indeed men may suspect themselves that separats from the godly in opinion they have reason to be more jealous of themselves when they offend against the generation of the just but if this were the contention and design of men to be very unlike the multitude of men nay to be very unlike the multitude of Professors in the affection and practice of holiness humility and spiritual walking I think this were an allowed way though a singular way Men may aspire to as great a difference as may be from the conversations and practice of others if there be a tending to more conformity to the Word the rule of all practice The Law is spiritual and holy saith Paul but I am carnal this therefore were spiritual walking to set that excellent spiritual rule before our eyes that we who are carnal may be transformed and changed into more likeness to that holy and spiritual Law If a man had not an imperfect rule of his own fancy and imagination before his eyes he could not be satisfied with his attainments but with Paul would forget them in a manner not know them but reach forward still to what is before because so much length would be before us as would swallow up all our progress this would keep the motion on foot and make it constant A man should never say Master let us make tabernacles its good to be here no indeed the dwelling place and resting would be seen to be above As long as a man had so much of his journey to accomplish he would not sit down on in his advancement he would not compare with others and exalt himself above others Why because there is still a far greater distance between him and his rule then between the slowest walker and him This made Paul more sensible of a body of death Rom. 7 then readily lower Christians are Reflections on our attainments and comparisons with others which are so often the
be born of the Spirit O that Christians would mind their original and wonder at it and study to be like it If you believe and consider that your descent is from that uncreated Spirit how powerful might that be to conform you more and more to him and to transform more and more of your flesh into spirit There is nothing will raise up the spirits of the children of Princes more then to know their royal birth and dignity how should the consideration of this make your spirits suitable to your state or fortunes as we use to say You would labour to raise them up to that hight of your original and to walk worthy of that high calling O that we could learn that instruction from it which Paul gives 1 Cor. 1.30 31 But of him are ye in Christ therefore let him that glorieth glory in the Lord Truly a soul possessed with the meditation of this royal descent from God could not possibly glory in these inglorious baser things in which men glory and could not contain or restrain gloâ—iation and boasting in him The glory of many is their shame because it s their sin of which they should be ashamed but suppose that in which men glory be not shame in it self as the lawful things of this present world yet certainly it is a great shame for a Christian to glory in them or esteem the better of himself for them If this were minded alwayes that we are of God born of God what power do ye think temptations or solistations to sin would have over us he that is born of God sinneth not he keepeth himself and the wicked one toucheth him not 1 Ioh. 5.18 19. Truly this consideration imprinted in the heart would elevate us above all these baser perswasions of the flesh this would make sin loathsome and despicable as the greatest indignity we could do to our own natures The strength and advantage of sin is to make us forget what we are whom we have relation unto to drink us drunk with the puddle of the world or then with our own jealousies and suspitions that we may forget our birth and state and so be enticed to anything If you would have wherewith to beat back all the fiery darts of the devil take the shield of this faith and perswasion how would it silence temptations Shall I who am a Ruler flee saith Nehemiah Shall I who am born of the Spirit shall I who am of God in Christ abase my self to such unworthy and base things Shall I dishonour my father and disgrace my self Then Christianity its chief residence its royal sent is in the spirit of a man and so he he is one after the Spirit Be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds Eph. 4.23 As it is of a high descent so it must have the highest and most honourable lodging in all the Creation that is the spirit of a man without this there is no room else fit for it and suitable to it in this lower world My son give me thine heart saith wisdom Pro. 23.26 It cares for nothing besides if it get not the heart the inmost Cabinet of the imperial City of this Isle of Man for out of it are the issues of life that flow into all the members Do not think that grace will lodge one night in your outward man that you can put on Christianity upon your countenance or conversation without except you admit it into your souls it can have no suitable intertaiâ—ment there alone it s of a spiritual nature and it must have a spirit to abide in Every thing is best preserved and entertained by things suitable to its nature such do incorporat together and inbosome one with another whereas things keep a greater distance with things different in nature a â—â—ame will die out among cold stones without oylie matter This heavenly fire that is descended into the world can have nothing earthly to feed upon it must die out except it get into the immortal spirit and then furnish to speak so perpetual nourishment to it till at length all the spirit be set on flame and changed as it were into that heavenly substance to mount up above from whence it came Do not think my beloved to superinduce true Religion upon your out-side and within to be as rotten sepulâ—â—â—es You must either open your hearts to Christ or else he will â—ot abide with you such a noble guest will not stay in the suburbs of the City if you take him not into the Palace and truly the palace of our hearts is too unworthy for such a worthy guest it hath been so defiled by sin how vile is it but if you would let him â—â—ter he would wash it and cleanse it for himself Will you know then the character of a Christian he is one much within he hath retired into his own spirit to know how it goes with it and he finds all so disordered and confused all so unsetled that he gets so much buâ—iness to do at home as he gets no leasure to come much abroad again It is the misery of men that they are wholly without carried into external things only and this is the very character of a beast that it cannot reflect inwardly upon it self but is wholly spent on things that are presented to the outward senses There is nothing in which mâ—n are more assimilated to beasts then this that we do not speak in our selves or return in to our own bosoms but are wholly occupyed about the things that are without us and thus it fares with us as with the man that is busie in all other mens matters and never thinks of his own his estate must needs ruin all his affairs must be out of course Truly while we are immersed and drowned in external things our souls are perishing our inward estate is washing away all our own affairs that can only and properly be called ours are disordered and jumbled Therefore Christianity doth first of all recall the wandering and vain spririt of man in to it self as that exhortation is Psal. 4.9 to commune with his own heart to make a diligent search of his own affairs and O! how doth he find all out of course as a garden neglected all overgrowen as a house not inhabited all dropping through in a word wholly ruinous through intolerable negligence It was the first turn of the Prodigal to return to himself he came to himself Luke 15.17 Truly sin is not only an aversion from God but it is an estrangement from our selves from our souls from our own happiness it s â— madness that takes away the use of reason and consideration of our own selves But grace is a conversion not only to God but to our selves it bringeth a man home to his heart maketh him sober again who was beside himself Hence that phrase 1 King 8.47 When they shall turn to their own hearts and return It is the most laborious vanity or the vainest labour to compass
spirit O to think that I was once in that black roll of these excluded from the Kingdom such were some of you and then to consider That my name was taken out and washed by the blood of Christ to be enrolled in the Register of Heaven what an astonishing thing is it you see in nature God hath appointed contrarieties and varieties to beautifie the world and certainly many things could not be known how good and beneficial they are but by the smart and hurt of that which is opposite to them as you could not imagine the good of light but by some sensible experience of the evil of darkness Heat you could not know the benefit of it but by the vexation of cold Thus he maketh one to commend another and both to beautifie the world It is thus in art contrariety and variety of colours and lines make up one beauty diversity of sounds makes a sweet harmony Now this is the art and wisdom of God in the dispensation of his grace He setteth the misery of some beside the happiness of others that each of them may aggravat another he puts light beside darkness spirit sore-against flesh that so Saints may have a double accession to their admiration at the goodness and grace of God and to their delight and complacency in their own happiness he presents the state of men out of Christ that you may wonder how you are translated and may be so abundantly satisfied as not to exchange your portion for the greatest Monarchs Then I say this may provoke us and perswade us to more suitable walking Doth he make such a difference O do not you unmake it again do not confound all again by your walking after the course of the world conformity to the world is a confusion of what God hath separated Has infinit grace translated you from that kingdom of darkness to light O then walk in that light as children of light are ye such owne your stations consider your relations and make your selves ashamed at the very thoughts of sin he points out the deformed and ugly face of the conversation of the world that you may fall in love with the beauty of holiness as the Lacedemonians wont to let their childâ—en see their slaves drunk that the bruitish and abominable posture of such in that sin might imprint in the hearts of their children a detestation of such a vice Certainly the Lord calls you to mind often what you have been and what the world about you is not to engage you to it but to alienat your minds from the deformity of sin and to commend to you the beauty of obedience You would learn to make this holy use and advantage of all the wickedness the world lyeth into To behold in it as in a glasse your own image and likenesse that when you use to hate or despise others you may rather loath and dislike your selves as having that same common nature and wonder at the goodness of God that makes such difference where none was This were the way to make gain of the most improfitable thing in the world that is the sins of other men for ordinarily the seeing and speaking of them doth rather dispose us and incline us to more liberty to sin Many look on them with delight some with contempt and hatred of these that commit them but few know how to speak or look on sin it self with indignation or themselves because of the seeds of it within them with abhorrency I would think if we were circumspect in this the worse the world is we might be the better the worse the times are we might spend it better the more pride we see it might make us the more humble the more impiety and impurity abounds it might provoke us to a further distance from and disconformity with the world Thus if we were wise we might extract gold out of the dung-hill and suck honey out of the most poysonable weed The surrounding ignoâ—ance and wickedness of the world might cause a holy Antiperistasis in a Christian by making the grace of God unite it self and work more powerfully as fire out of a cloud and shine more brightly as a torch in the darkness of the night As for you whose woful estate is here described who are yet in the flesh and enemies to God by nature I would desire you to be stirred up at the consideration of this that there are some who are delivered out of that prison and that some have made peace with God and are no more enemies but friends and fellow-Citizens of the Saints If the case were left wholly incurable and desperat you had some ground to continue in your sins and security But now when you hear a remedy is posâ—ible and some have been helped by it I wonder that ye do not upon this door of hope offered bâ—sâ—ir your selves that you may be these who are here excepted But you are not in the flesh since some are why may not I be Will you awake your selves with this alarm If you had any desire after this estate certainly such a hope as this would give you feet to come to Jesus Christ for these are the legs of the soul some desire of a better estate and some probability of it conceived by hope SERMON XXIV Rom. 8.9 If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man c. BVt will God in very deed dwell with men on earth 2 Chron. 6.18 it was the wonder of one of the wisest of men and indeed considering his infinit Highness above the hight of Heaven his immense and incomprehensible greatnesse that the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him and then the basenesse emptinesse and worthlessnesse of man it may be a wonder to the wisest of Angels and what is it think you the Angels desire to look into but this incomprehensiâ—le mystery of the descent of the most High to dwell among the lowest and vilest of the creatures But as Solomons Temple and these visible symbols of Gods presence were but shadows of things â—o come the substance whereof is exhibited under the Gospel so that wonder was but a shadow or type of a greater and more real wonder of Gods dwelling on the earth now It was the wonder shall God dwell with man among the rebellious sons of Aâ—â—m But behold a greater wonder since Christ came God dwelling in man â—â—st personally in the Man Christ in whom the fulnesse of the God-head dwelt bodily then graâ—iously in the seed of Christ in man by His Spirit and this makes men spirituâ—l if so be the Spirit of Christ dwell in you You heard of the fâ—â—st in-dwelling ver 3. God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinful flesh the inhabitaâ—ion of the Divine Nature in our flesh which had the likenesse of sinful â—â—esh but without sin for he sanctified himself for our cause And truly this mysterious and wonderful inhabitation is not only a pledge of the other That
incense to God dayly when they offer up their souls desires in simplicity and sincerity Certainly this is a spiritual thing derived only from the fountain of Spirts this grace of pouring out our souls into him and keeping communication with him the variety of words and riches of expression it is but the shell of it the external shadow And all the life consists in the frame of the heart before God And this none can put in frame but he that formed the Spirit of man within him some through custom of hearing and using it attain to a habit of expressing themselves readily in it it may be to the satisfaction of others but alas they may be strangers to the fiâ—st letters and elements of the life and spirit of prayer I would have you who want both look up to heaven for it many of you cannot be induced to pray in your family and I fear little or none in secret which is indeed a more serious work because you have not been used or not learned or such like Alas beloved this cometh not through education or learning it cometh from the Spirit of adoption and if ye cannot pray ye say ye have not the Spirit and if ye have not the Spirit ye are not the Sons of God Know what is in the inevitable sequel of your own confessions But I haste to the qualifications of this divine work fervencie reverence and confidence Fervencie in crying reverence and confidence in crying Abba Father for these two suit well towards our Father the first I fear we must seek it elsewhere then in prayer I find it spent on other things of lesse moment Truly all the Spirit and affection of men runes in another channel in the way of contention and strife in the way of passion and miscalled zeal and because these things whereabout we do thus earnestly contend have some interest or coherance with Religion we not only excuse but approve our vehemency But O! much better were that imployed in supplicationâ— to God that were a divine channel Again the marrow of other mens Spirits is exhausted in the pursuit of things in the world the edge of their desires is turned that way and it must needs be blunted and dulled in spiritual things that it cannot pierce into Heaven and prevail effectually I am sure many of us useth this excuse who are so cold in it that we do not warm our selves and how shall we think to prevail with God our spirits make little noise when we cry all the loudest we can scarce hear any whisper in our hearts and how shall he hear us Certainly it is not the extension of the voice pleaseth Him it is the cry of the heart that is sweet harmony in his ears and you may easily perceive that if you but consider that he is an infinit Spirit that pierceth into all the corners of our hearts and hath all the darknesse of it as light before him how can you think that such a spirit can be pleased with lip-cryes how can he endure such deceit and â—alshood who hath so perfect a contrariety with all false appearances that your heart should lye so dead and flatt before him and the affection of it turned quite another way There were no sacrifices without fire in the Old Testament and that fire was kept-in perpetually and so no prayer now without some inward fire conceived in the desires and blazing up and growing into a flame in the presenting of them to God The incense that was to be offered on the Altar of perfume Exod. 30. it behoved to be beaten and prepared and truly prayer would do well to be made out of a beaten and bruised heart and contrite spirit a spirit truly sensible of its own unworthinesse and wants and that beating and pounding of the heart will yeeld a good fragrant smel as some spices do not till beaten The incense was made of divers spices intimating to us that true prayer is not one grace alone but a compound of graces It is the joynt exercise of all a Christian graces seasoned with all every one of them give some peculiar fragrancy to it as Humility Faith Repentance Love c. The acting of the heart in supplication is a kind of compend and result of all these as one perfume made up of many simples But above all as the incense our prayers must be kindled by fire on the Altar there must be some heat and servour some warmnesse conceived by the holy Spirit in our hearts which may make our spices send forth a pleasant smell as many spices do not till they get heat Let us lay this engagement on our hearts to be more serious in our addresses to God the Father of spirits above all to present our inward soul before him before whom it is naked and open though we do not bring it And certainly frequency in prayer will much help us to fervency and to keep it when we have it SERMON XL. Rom. 8.15 VVhereby we cry Abba Father ALL that know any thing of Religion must needs know and confess that there is no exercise either more suitable to him that prosesseth it or more needful for him then to give himself to the exercise of prayer but that which is confessed by all and as to the outward performance gone about by many I fear it is yet a mystery sealed up fâ—om us as to the true and living nature of it There is much of it expressed here in few words whereby we cry Abba Father The divine constitution and qualification of this divine work is here made up of a temper of fervency reverence and confidence The first I spoke of before but I fear our hearts was not well heated then or may be cooled since It is not the loud noise of words that is best heard in Heaven or that is constructed to be crying to God No this is transacted in the heart more silently to men but it striketh up into the ears of God His ear is sharp and that voice of the souls desires is shrill and though it were out of the depths they will meet together It is true the vehemency of affection will sometimes cause the extension of the voice but yet it may cry as loud to Heaven when it is kept within I do not presse such extraordinary degrees of servour as may effect the body but I would rather wish we accustomed our selves to a solid calm seriousnesse and earnestnesse of spirit which might be more constant then such raptures can be that we might alwayes gather our spirits to what we are about and avocat them from impertinent wanderingâ— and fix them upon the present object of our worship this is to worship him in spirit who is a Spirit The other thing that composes the sweet temper of prayeâ— is reverence and what more suitable whether you consider Him or your selves If I be your Father where is my honour and if I be your Master where is my fear